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All Music Guide:
Based around the songwriting talents of Jeff Tucker, the California-based alternative rock outfit Rock Kills Kid initially came together in the last part of the '90s. Having recently graduated from high school, Tucker was directionless and socially withdrawn when he finally worked up the nerve to hook up with some local punk bands and begin writing songs. Together with two of his bandmates, drummer Chris Poulson and bassist Kirk Huffman, Tucker formed Rock Kills Kid and recorded a demo that led to the guys inking a deal with Fearless Records in 2000. Their eponymous EP appeared in early 2001 to decent response, but Rock Kills Kid never really toured behind it.
Tucker soon found himself with no money and living as a squatter in the Los Angeles recording studio. Over the next few years, he constantly wrote -- barely leaving his illegal quarters -- and by the end of 2003, Tucker had amassed close to 150 songs. Meanwhile, Rock Kills Kid was still alive in name, but with an unstable roster, far from actually being a band. Undeterred, Tucker eventually recruited bassist Shawn Dailey, keyboardist Reed Calhoun, drummer Ian Hendrickson, and guitarist Sean Stopnik to once again complete the group. After the band signed to Reprise during the recording process, the emotionally tense Are You Nervous? arrived in May 2006. Produced by Mark Trombino (blink-182, Jimmy Eat World), their full-length debut was a post-punk-inspired effort that Tucker used to deal with his years of self-imposed isolation. March was spent on the road with the Electric Six and Nightmare of You; various tour dates followed the record's release as well.
Wikipedia:
Rock Kills Kid is an American alternative rock band from Los Angeles, California that consists of Jeff Tucker (guitar and vocals), Shawn Dailey (bass), Sean Stopnik (guitar), Reed Calhoun (keyboards/vocals), and Mike Balboa (drums). Their music often draws comparison to The Cure, Echo & the Bunnymen, Duran Duran and U2, as well as new bands such as The Killers and Franz Ferdinand. They were named one of Rolling Stone magazine's "10 Artists to Watch in 2006".
History
Although there was a period when Jeff Tucker, Kirk Huffman, and Danny "Extravaganza" played under the moniker "The Jeff Tucker Extravaganza", the initial incarnation of "Rock Kills Kid" consisted of Jeff Tucker (vocals, guitar, song-writing), Kirk Huffman (bass), Devin Kelly (guitar, b/g vocals, piano), and Chris Poulson (drums, b/g vocals). This version of Rock Kills Kid toured moderately across the United States in support of the debut self-titled 5-song EP released in early 2003 by Fearless Records.
During the end of the self-titled EP tour, the band also recorded two songs with producer/engineer Ariel Rechtshaid (formerly of "The Hippos"). The songs were titled "Still Standing" and "Farewell." The former track "Still Standing" appeared on a Fearless Records Promotional CD: 2003 And Beyond... and was remade later on the album Are You Nervous? and retitled the track, "Hope Song". The latter was included with a bonus disc inside select copies of the Fearless Records Punk Goes Acoustic compilation.
Following this period, with no money and no place to live, Tucker began sleeping at the recording studio Fearless was paying for in Los Angeles while writing songs for the first-coming full-length album. During this time, the group had a slight line-up change, and they regrouped with a newer line-up consisting of drummer; Poulson, bassist; Dailey, and guitarist; Stopnik. The band shortly added keyboardist/guitar/bg-vox; Reed Calhoun, to the line-up, while drummer Poulson had parted ways with the band in mid/late 2005. After the full-length album had wrapped in the studio, the band added on drummer; Sam Kearney for a fall 2005 tour with the band, Electric Six. Near the end of the tour the band parted with Kearney, and brought drummer; Ian Hendrickson on board, and toured in 2006 with band, She Wants Revenge, which further boosted their profile, as did the use of "Hide Away" on an episode of Fox television drama The O.C..
They signed to Reprise Records and toured extensively in support of their debut album, Are You Nervous (with drums played by Kenny Livingston of Sugarcult and production/engineering tasks given to Mark Trombino).
"Hide Away" was an iTunes free download in April 2006. "Paralyzed" is the first single off "Are You Nervous" and was sent to radio that same month. "Paralyzed" was played during the credits of the 2008 feature film Prom Night.
